Saltwater aquariums

[ItsMandy227]

I don't know if this is scuba diving related or not....so I decided to post this here. I was just wondering how many people on the board have/had saltwater aquariums and the pros and cons of one. If you do and you have a picture of it I thought it would be neat to post them here. If you don't mind also telling what you have in there and how long you've had it. As well as any recommendations you may have for someone trying to start a tank. I would like to have one eventually but I'm waiting for the appropriate time and some extra money. I will have one in the near future. Thanks everyone.

 

[SDAnderson]

I used to keep fish but no longer. Space and money (saltwater tanks can eat a hole in your wallet faster than diving) contributed to the decision, as did my discomfort at the havoc that some collecting practices cause - the dynamite and cyanide and what all. Plus, seeing a tank full of fish made me feel like they should all be set free and made me hunger to go diving. Sometimes it just plain old made me hungry, too.

 

[jeffkruse2000]

Keeping a saltwater fish tank with animals you research and catch yourself is great. I have a cold saltwater fish tank. Of the fish I catch and put in my tank less than 1 in 10 die in the first few months. And when they do it's because they get eaten by other animals! If your keeping a warm water tank it's very inexpensive. I just love it. Be responsible and learn about the animals before you catch them.

I used to live in Rhode Island and during the fall we would collect all of the baby "tropical" fish that were brought in by the gulf stream. Even baby barracuda and grouper because we knew they were going to die in a few weeks when the water got colder. Here in Puget Sound I won't put anything in my tank that will get to big. No need to collect a rockfish that will get to be 20" long when I can get a Puget Sound rock fish that might get to be 7" long.

http://www.seanet.com/~katrinakruse/

 

[Jester]

A diver waiting for extra money for...................AN AQUARIUM?

Somehow, that's just not right!

Need more wetsuits, fins, masks, computers, bc's, etc.! LOL!

 

[JustAddWater]

I have a 50 gallon reef tank that is very easy to take care of. I have kept cichlids for years but wanted to try salt water. I have had much success and still have a few of my original fish. You can get used tanks with all the necessary equipment for a very reasonable price. Start off slowly. Read up on the hobby, because there is a whole science involved with it.
It doesn't have to be expensive or a lot of work.

 

[mempilot]

I got rid of my tank. Once the fish saw me watching "Finding Nemo", they figured out how to escape. With no more fish, it got boring.

Actually, I went from saltwater tropical to freshwater African cichlids to freshwater pirahnas. Each was cool in it's own way, and the cost got exponentially less with each switch. When the flesh eaters got too big for the tank, I took up scuba.

 

[ReefGuy]

I've had a reef tank (75g) for 4 years now. It's a full blown reef (bubble coral, colt, shrooms, hammer, open brain, button polups, etc.) with only one fish - a mandarin dragonette. I know that mandarins aren't supposed to do well in captivity, but I've got 75 lbs of gulf live rock that spots a huge colony of copepods - so much so that I don't even have to feed my tank - ever. If you're looking to start your own reef tank, some advice:

Take your time.
Don't start with anything smaller than 55g. 75g is an excellent starter tank.
Set it up right the first time. Take your time.
If you're going reef (corals), make sure that the tank is drilled for it. You want a sump and no filter.
If you want a reef tank, don't skimp on the lighting. #2 big mistake.
#1 big mistake - not taking your time.
plan on spending several hours a week initially on your tank. That should reduce to 2-3 hours a week if you remembered to take your time setting it up right.

www.thereeftank.com is an excellent source for advice. Remember that nothing good happens fast with a reef tank.

 

[hnladue]

I've had a 10 gallon salt for 4 years now. It's a reef tank with a few fish. I've had the fish for over 2 years now. It's now easy and not cheap, but it's fun!!

 

[Capnsnott]

I've been keeping fish for almost 15 years now, 3 of that was with a saltwater tank. At one time I had an 80, 2) 55s, a 30 and two 20s in my office.

I started with a 55 and went to a 75. My 55 was a half and half. I had about 50# of live rock and mixed the rest with tube worms, crabs, shrimp, snails, some hard corals and a couple fish. It was freaking expensive to just have that. The lighting will eat your lunch. I also had a water aging system running along side. Between the water monitoring, changes, lights, filters and keeping up with the RO water, it sucked. I loved the tank, it was actually in my office. But it got to be too much. I moved everything to a 75 at home and got it stable again. The 55 is set up now with some cool freshies. Guss my Hoplo catfish eats out of my hand (as does my other fish).
I started paying attention to the money. You could re equip yourself about once a year for the money I was spending. And it was hard to go on vacation. I was stressed the whole time. I was sure I would come home to a $grand$ in dead critters. The other reason was the collecting of fish & critters. Cyanide and shock is pretty harsh, there is a pretty low survival rate. I would rather dive to see them than watch one in my tank.
Oh, btw, my brother has the tank now. He just spent about $400 on replacing his lights (once a year or more). He has some high $$$ corals though.

 

[adder70]

I have had both. You need to spend BIG $ to make salt work well.

I personally prefer having a freshwater tank with plants and rainbows. Rainbows are hardy and get very pretty given only moderate care with moderate equipment expenditure. They don't look like much as babies, but they get really pretty as they grow. I would also recommend a larger tank (55-75 gal) to start. My favorites among rainbows are Boesemani and Turquoise rainbows (There are several species known as Turquoise. Most are my favorite, which is also known as the Lake Kutubu Rainbow, and develops a deep blue top half and a silver bottom half.).

http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/other/melanotaenia boesemani.html

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/mel-lacu.htm